Blog Tour, Rachel's Review: Almost Innocent by Carina Adams

Callaghan. A name
synonymous with power and fear. A family of untouchable criminals.

As a teenager,
Gabriella Forte had no intention of getting to know the town's most dangerous
brothers. Once Dustin set his sights on her, she was trapped. There was only
one way out of her personal hell.

Declan was determined
to break away from his family's shadow. Until he fell in love with the one
woman he couldn't have. She changed everything.

Life isn't always
kind. Love can hurt. Sometimes you need to sacrifice yourself to protect the
people you care about.

It's been twelve years
since Declan did the unthinkable and went to prison. He promised to stay away
from Gabby and his nephew. That's one vow he can't keep.

Things aren't always
what they seem. Facts are only as credible as the person stating them. The
truth doesn't always set you free.

I turned into my driveway so fast I
almost sideswiped the gate, then I gunned the engine, slamming on the brakes at
the last minute, so I didn’t collide with my brother’s Jeep. Leaving my car
door open, I raced into the house and up the stairs, then I threw my weight
against the door to Dustin’s room.

Just as the gunshot echoed
throughout the house, shaking the walls as if an earthquake had hit.

His room was destroyed, furniture
broken and scattered around, holes in the walls, the floor covered in debris.
The scent of blood hit me like a freight train. The taste of copper invaded my
mouth, almost as if it was me who had been wounded, and I stumbled backward as
my eyes moved over the room, desperate to find her. The closet door was flung
open, hanging from only the bottom hinge.

On the floor, just inside the
closet, was a man, weeping. He clutched something in his arms as he rocked back
and forth, sharp wails of pain seeping from his body.

No! No. I raced to them, fell to
the floor at her feet, climbed up her legs, and shoved the trembling mass away
from her. Her eyes were still open, yet there was no life left in them. One of
her hands hung limply at her side while the other was curled over her rounded
belly, almost protectively. Fuck, no!

I sank onto my knees next to her,
pulling her up to me and burying my face in her neck. Not my Gabby. She
couldn’t be gone! Without her, I had no reason to breathe.

Despair filled every part of me as
I clung to the woman I loved, desperate to rewind the clock and get her back.
Just for a few more minutes. Just to tell her how much she mattered to me.

“She’s gone. She’ll never be
yours,” the sinister voice I’d grown to hate goaded. “She always thought she
was never good enough for you.” He barked out a psychotic laugh. “You. Bitch
was never good enough for me.”

Without moving away from her,
because I couldn’t physically let go yet, I yanked my Desert Eagle from its
holster and aimed at my brother. “You were never fucking good enough for her.”
I pulled the trigger without a single regret. “She’ll never be yours.”

The look on Dustin’s face was one
of betrayal and surprise. I didn’t know why he felt either. My loyalty to him
died the day he’d discovered I was in love with his girlfriend and decided to
punish her for my mistakes. He’d been there when I stole the life from
perfectly healthy and decent men, so it shouldn’t be a shock that I’d relieved
his black soul from his diseased, evil existence. He flopped over to the side
dramatically as I returned my attention to the woman who was my everything.

“I’m so fucking sorry, baby,” I
whispered, holding her tight one last time.

A phone rang across the room, but I
couldn’t move away from the woman in my arms. I cradled her head against my
chest, begging God and all of the saints to grant me a miracle. I’d give my
life for hers. I willed my strength into her body.

It didn’t work.

The phone rang again, this time
with a commotion behind me. I snapped my head to the right, a predatory growl
on my lips, daring whoever had come into the room to try to rip her from my
arms. The sight of my cousin, standing just inside the door, caused rage to
boil out of me.

I wouldn’t leave her for anything.
Except revenge. Pressing my lips to her still warm forehead, I laid her back
gently and faced the man I’d trusted above all others.

I stalked toward him, gun drawn.
“Where the fuck were you?”

Mark narrowed his eyes at me but
was smart enough to step back.

“I told you to watch her. I told
you to protect her.”

My best friend raised his chin
defiantly, as if the love of my life wasn’t lying behind me and growing cold.
“I don’t take orders from you, kid. She wasn’t yours.”

The pain that hurtled through my
body was unlike any I’d ever felt, burning a path from my mind to my stomach as
realization dawned. He’d known. The fucker had known and hadn’t lifted a
fucking finger to stop it.

Loss—not just from Gabby, but
knowing the man I’d loved as a brother was now gone—mixed with the bitter taste
of betrayal and swirled in my stomach. I could finally see the man Mark had
become. I hated him. He may not have pulled the trigger, but he was just as
responsible for Gabby’s death as Dustin.

I lifted my arm without aiming and
unloaded the magazine into him.

I sat up, gasping for air and
clutching at the blanket that covered me. It was just a dream, I told myself.
Just a dream. I moved quickly, throwing my legs over the side of the bed,
leaning my elbows on my knees, and clutching my head.

Just a dream.

Almost Innocent is a first for me by Carina Adams. I don't know if this hit me just right, I haven't looked at any other reviews...I don't even know how many stars it's getting..(since I've written my review I did look, and I was shocked that it wasn't getting better ratings!) All I do know is that I found this freaking fabulous. It's different than what I've been reading..there isn't a bunch of sex. It's not about sex, not really (but it plays a HUGE part) ...it's about LOVE. The love a boy has for a girl, the love a girl has for a boy and a master manipulator who broke them both and kept them apart just because he could.I cried...a lot...like for most of the book, I had a kleenex to my eyes. It wasn't an all out sob fest, just quiet tears constantly dripping. Was it super sad and angsty? Nah...it just hit me where it counts. I spent the hours reading this book, sitting on the couch, constantly fidgeting because I was super tense. Sitting at the edge of my seat wondering how it was all gonna play out. When I was done? I was literally exhausted...physically and mentally.

The characters are out of this world. So complex yet not. The story line was amazing. The writing was top notch. Easy to read, easy to follow and SO VERY MUCH EMOTION.I can't wait to start another book by Carina Adams.~"I told you once that I would do whatever it took to protect you. And I did. Fuck, Gabs!" He swallowed roughly. When he looked at me again, his features were set in a determined line. "I will continue to do whatever it takes to protect you. Always" Yes, Declan Michael Callaghan did his damnedest to protect the love of his life from her boyfriend, his brother...Sometimes, it's just not enough, as Gabby and Dec found out.

My only complaint? The preface. I actually read it..I shouldn't have. I hate knowing what a book is about and the story would have made a bigger impression had I had to figure things out. Don't get me wrong...the preface was wonderful, heartfelt and thought provoking. I just wish it would have been at the end...I think it would have made for a stronger story, even though I'm aware it's not about the story as much as the subject matter..and I hope, I pray that as a person I would be strong enough to try and make a difference if I knew of someone in the same position.5 Amazing Stars

About The Author

Carina Adams has been writing and
creating characters for as long as she can remember, allowing her to fall in
love with the next man of her dreams with every new story.

Thankfully, fate stepped in and
granted her the ultimate wish - a life full of men. Carina lives in a
picturesque New England town with her husband, the man who ruined the thought
of all others, and two amazing sons who always keep her on her toes.

Carina received her MBA in May, but
would much rather play with her imaginary friends (the voices in her head) than
work her 8 to 5. When she isn’t trying to juggle being a working mom with
karate and drama practices, surprising her children with her sci-fi movie
knowledge, or writing, you can find her with her nose pressed against her
kindle, on the back of her husband’s motorcycle, or living life vicariously as
her Derby Girl persona, Writers Block.

Carina is currently writing
Unfinished Business, the next installment of the Bastards MC novels.